About this project

$147

pledged of $100 goal

13

backers

"Would you take a look at this old finishline, and see if you can get some of the lanes to work?"

Such an simple sounding question launched this project years ago. That year some of the lane sensors were salvaged for a simple order of finish results (first, second, third, etc). But when you have more cars than you have lanes, this method does not easily indicate the fastest car. And wow the price tag on some of those expensive systems that will provide the finish times!

So why not produce a simple printed circuit board (PCB) per lane that could be used for a two lane race indicating order of finish, or be daisy chained for multiple lanes, or allow for a simple PC connection to display race times?

We're well on our way. This system you see here has been used determine the fastest car for several divisions with dozens of cars. So it works, and I know there are talented individuals who can use the the rewards provided in this project to do the same.

I know there are some out there who need a quick and simple seven display, IR break detect circuit, analog reading circuit, piezo buzzer circuit, and/or serial PC interface to a microcontroller.

I know some think Gold plated PCBs just look cool, and would love to have one as a coaster!

And this project is for you?

If you've read the rewards yet, you'll notice there is not a populated PCB available. Why you ask? I can make this system cheaper, simpler to setup, and numerous other improvements, after which, then the system will be ready to produce for the general public. We can save this for another Kick Starter Project.

So about the rewards,

"THANKS" So if you like to be kept updated on future project achievements, back this project for at least $1 to be kept in the loop. In return, you'll get the schematic as a jpg showing the connection of all the parts.

"TINKER" The best value reward by far is the $10 unpopulated PCB. This gold plated treasure is useful for prototyping or full population using the provided Bill of Material (BOM) and Schematic. But its a limited offer, only available to the first 10 Backers. PCBs can ship as soon as the project ends and funding clears.

"BOM" at $15 Will get you both the BOM and the Schematic. Want more, keep reading.

"LAYOUT" at $20 will get the jpg of the PCB layout; this aids designing your own creation or simply looks great as a screen wallpaper. Of course the BOM and Schematic will be included.

"HEX" at $25 get compiled code ready for a microcontroller. This design is based using a product from www.microchip.com and various companies produce programmers for them, so with such and a computer you can install this HEX file into chip after soldering to the PCB. Also included in this reward are all of the other documents listed thus far.

"PLOTS" So you want bunches of these PCBs for your very own? Easy, for just $30 you'll get the Gerber files used to make the PCB seen here which you can send off to any PCB production company to have them made. If you ask nicely, I might tell you which company I use. Starting at this reward level, I plan to include a "BONUS" reward if the project funding exceeds the goal sufficiently; keep reading for details. Also included in this reward are all of the other documents listed thus far.

"PCB Tweaker" So you want your own PCBs, but you want to change the component layout a little? This reward gets you the PCB source files needed, created with freeware DipTrace ver 2.0.06. Also included are all of the other documents listed thus far and the "BONUS" reward (funding level dependent).

"Schematic Tweaker" With this reward, you get the source file for the schematic, created with freeware DipTrace ver 2.0.06. Also included are all of the other documents listed thus far and the "BONUS" reward (funding level dependent).

"Micro Source" To edit the code in the microcontroller, this reward gets you the source code written for this project. Using the free Integrated Development Environment and Compiler available from microchip.com, you can generate your own altered hex files for the microcontroller. Also included are all of the other documents listed thus far and the "BONUS" reward (funding level dependent).

"PC Source" Countless hours went into developing the source code for the PC. The automatic lane detection and race heat lane functions are very involved. Why only $500? Honestly, its not a finished product, with some minor bugs. But this software has successfully been used with lots of racers. It was generated with Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition. Also included are all of the other documents listed thus far and the "BONUS" reward (funding level dependent).

"BONUS" If this project reaches a funding of $400 or more, each reward of $30 or more will receive an unpopulated Printed Circuit Board like the ones used in this project.

Please note:

* All rewards (with the exception of the Printed Circuit Boards) are electronic documents, so you'll need to provide a valid email address to receive.

* US laws on exporting computer code and hardware are complicated, so for now, all rewards can only be delivered to inside the US; sorry for any inconvience.

So why Kick Start this project? The parts cost is already around $10 per lane. It already works. What else is there to do? I can bring the cost down further by changing some parts, the schematic, and a new round of PCBs. I want to make the setup of the lanes even easier. Add further functions to the microcontroller and the PC code.

With your backing, the project can go further.

FAQ

Have a question?
If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

"Micro Source" receives the source file for the microcontroller to tweak and compile new HEX files, with the HEX code, PCB Source and Layout and Plots, Schematic Source and JPG, and BOM. Possible bonus reward depending on project funding.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

"PC Source" receives the source files for the PC to tweak and compile new PC applications, with the microcontroller source and HEX code, PCB Source and Layout and Plots, Schematic Source and JPG, and BOM. Possible bonus reward depending on project funding.